Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals Science and Technology. Section A. Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals, Vol.362, 171-175, 2001
Switchable liquid-crystalline polymers based on the ferrocene-ferrocenium redox system
A ferrocene-containing side-chain liquid-crystalline polymethacrylate was oxidized with iodine into the corresponding ferrocenium polymeric species. The reduced polymer showed enantiotropic smectic C and smectic A phases. The oxidized polymer exhibited an enantiotropic nematic phase. The results described in this report confirm that ferrocene is a valuable redox-active unit for the design of switchable liquid-crystalline polymers.